Tag Archives: Lebanon

Arab Public Opinion Poll About Israeli War On Gaza

January 15, 2024 The Silo 1 Comment

Doha, January 2024 // The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies announced the results of their public opinion poll regarding the Israeli war on Gaza on Wednesday 10 January 2024. The poll was carried out on a sample of 8000 respondents (men and women) from 16 Arab countries. The survey questions were selected to determine the opinions of citizens in the Arab region on important topics related to the Israeli war on Gaza.

The results of the survey demonstrate the locality of the war as felt by Arab public opinion, with 97% of respondents expressing psychological stress (to varying degrees) as a result of the war on Gaza. 84% expressed a sense of great psychological stress.

Extent of psychological stress felt during the war on Gaza

About 80% of respondents reported that they regularly follow news of the war, compared to 7% who said that they do not follow it, a further indication that the Arab public sees this war as a local event. To access the news 54% of respondents relied on television, compared to 43% who relied on the internet.

Extent of news followship about Israel’s war on Gaza

It is noteworthy that the results highlighted that Arab public opinion does not believe that the military operation carried out by Hamas on 7 October 2023 was in pursuit of a foreign agenda. 35% of respondents considered that the most important reason for the operation was the continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, while 24% attributed it mostly to defence against Israel’s targeting of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and 8% saw it as a result of the ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip.

The most important motivations for Hamas to carry out the military operation on 7 October 2023

	Most important	Second most important
The ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian land	35	13
Defending al-Aqsa Mosque against attacks	24	21
The ongoing blockade of Gaza	8	12
Ongoing and expanding settlement on Palestinian land	6	8
Liberating Palestinian detainees and prisoners in Israeli prisons	6	13
Israel’s rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state	4	5
The United States’ failure to achieve a just peace	2	3
The international community’s disregard for Palestinian rights and the ongoing occupation	4	5
Halting the normalization process between Arab governments and Israel	2	3
Carrying out the plan or agenda of a foreign power such as Iran	2	2
Other	2	1
Don’t know / Declined to answer	5	0
No second option	0	14
Total	100	100

While 67% of respondents reported that the military operation carried out by Hamas was a legitimate resistance operation, 19% reported that it was a somewhat flawed but legitimate resistance operation, and 3% said that it was a legitimate resistance operation that involved heinous or criminal acts, while 5% said it was an illegitimate operation.

Assessments of Hamas’ military operation on 7 October 2023

The results showed that there is an Arab consensus of 92% expressing solidarity with the citizens of the Arab region with the Palestinian people in Gaza. While 69% of respondents expressed their solidarity with Palestinians and support for Hamas, 23% expressed solidarity with Palestinians despite opposing Hamas, and 1% expressed a lack of solidarity with the Palestinians.

Solidarity with Palestinians and support for Hamas

The majority of respondents rejected comparisons between Hamas and ISIS made by predominately Israeli and Western politicians and media personalities.

Comparisons between Hamas and ISIS

When asked about the responses of regional and international powers to Israel’s war on Gaza, 94% considered the US position negatively, with 82% considering it very bad. In the same context, 79%, 78%, and 75% of respondents viewed positions of France, the UK, and Germany negatively. Opinion was split over the positions of Iran, Turkey, Russia, and China. While (48%, 47%, 41%, 40%, respectively) considered them positively (37%, 40%, 42%, 38%, respectively).

Evaluation of international and regional positions

In the same context, 76% of respondents reported that their position toward the United States following the Israeli war on Gaza had become more negative, indicating that the Arab public has lost confidence in the US. Furthermore, respondents demonstrated a near consensus (81%) in their belief that the US government is not serious about working to establish a Palestinian state in the 1967 occupied territories (The West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza).

About 77% of respondents named the United States and Israel as the biggest threat to the security and stability of the region. While 51% saw the United States as the most threatening, 26% considered the biggest threat to be Israel. While 82% of respondents reported that US media coverage of the war was biased towards Israel, only 7% saw it as neutral.

How opinion on US policy in the Arab region has changed since the war on Gaza

Evaluation of US seriousness in establishing a Palestinian state in the 1967 Occupied Palestinian lands

Biggest threats to the peace and stability of the region

	Greatest Threat				Second Greatest Threat
	Gaza war	2022	2020	2018	Gaza War	2022	2020	2018
United States	51	39	44	43	25	25	23	28
Israel	26	41	37	37	33	28	38	40
Iran	7	7	10	13	10	13	19	15
Russia	4	6	2	3	8	8	4	7
France	2	2	2	1	10	5	3	1
Turkey	2	2	2	1	3	2	5	2
China	1	2	1	0	2	2	2	0
Other	1	—	—	—	2	—	—	—
Don’t know / Declined to answer	6	1	2	2	0	—	—	—
No second option	0	—	—	—	7	17	6	7
Aggregate	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

Evaluation of US media coverage of the war on Gaza

Arab public opinion sees the Palestinian Cause as an Arab issue, and not exclusively a Palestinian issue. A consensus of 92% believe that the Palestinian question concerns all Arabs and not just the Palestinians. On the other hand, 6% said that it concerns the Palestinians alone and they alone must work to solve it. It is worth noting that this percentage is the highest recorded since polling began in 2011, rising from 76% at the end of 2022, to 92% this year. Some countries recorded significant increases. In Morocco, it rose from 59% in 2022 to 95%, in Egypt from 75% to 94%, in Sudan from 68% to 91%, and in Saudi Arabia from 69% to 95%, a statistically significant increase that represents a fundamental shift in the opinions of the citizens of these countries.

Consideration of the Palestinian Cause as an Arab issue over time

Arab public opinion is almost unanimous in rejecting recognition of Israel, at a rate of 89%, up from 84% in 2022, compared to only 4% who support its recognition. Of particular note is the increase in the percentage of those who rejected recognition of Israel in Saudi Arabia from 38% in the 2022 poll to 68% in this survey. Such a statistically significant increase also applies to other countries such as Morocco, where the percentage rose from 67% to 78%, and Sudan, where it increased from 72% to 81%.

Support/opposition for recognizing Israel over time

When asked about their opinions on what measures Arab governments should take in order to stop the war in Gaza, 36% of respondents stated that Arab governments should suspend all relations or normalization processes with Israel, while 14% of them stated that aid and support should be brought into Gaza without Israeli approval, and 11% said that the Arab governments should use oil as a weapon to assert pressure on Israel and its supporters.

Measures that should be taken by Arab governments to stop the war on Gaza

	Most important measure	Second most important measure
Suspend relations or normalization with Israel	36	15
Deliver aid to Gaza without Israeli approval	14	16
Use the oil weapon to pressure Israel and its supporters	11	13
Establish a global alliance to boycott Israel	9	11
Provide military aid to Gaza	8	10
Announce military mobilization	5	6
Reconsider relations with the United States	4	6
Reconsider relations with states that support Israel’s war on Gaza	3	5
Build alliances with states that have taken practical steps against Israel	3	4
Other	3	2
Don’t know / Declined to answer	4	0
No second option	0	12
Total	100	100

There is a near consensus among Palestinian respondents from the West Bank (including Jerusalem), around 95%, that safety and freedom of movement between the governorates and cities of the West Bank and their sense of security and personal safety have been affected negatively since 7 October 2023.

Negative effects experienced in the West Bank since 7 October 2023

A further 60% of Palestinian respondents in the West Bank said that they had been subjected to or were witnesses to raids by the occupation army forces, while 44% said that they were subjected to arrest or interrogation by the Israeli army, and 22% reported that they were subjected to harassment by settlers.

Frequency of witnessing or happening upon incidences of raids, arrests, or settler harassment in the West Bank since 7 October 2023

This survey is the first of its kind to gauge public opinion on the topic across the Arab region. The field work was conducted from 12 December 2023 to 5 January 2024 in Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and the West Bank, Palestine (including Jerusalem). The surveyed communities represent 95% of the population of the Arab region and its far-flung regions. The sample in each of the aforementioned communities was 500 men and women, drawn according to cluster and self-weighted sampling methods to ensure that every individual in each country had an equal probability of appearing in the sample.

For the Silo, Dr Ahmed Hussein, researcher at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies.

Culture

DTCare Reports Monumental Cleanup Task Following Deadly Beirut Explosion

August 21, 2020 The Silo Leave a comment

August, 2020 (Beirut, Lebanon) – Two weeks after a devastating blast in Beirut’s port area that killed close to 200 people and injured thousands more, cleanup efforts are still underway. According to locals on the ground working with American NGO, DTCare, they’ve barely scratched the surface of the monumental task of cleanup, and are now facing the looming threat of a COVID-19 shutdown.

The DTCare Lebanon ground team, in coordination with their United States office, was among the first American NGO on the scene following the deadly explosion on August 4th. The organization had been in Lebanon developing an NGO to help Syrian refugees, and because of their close proximity, they were some of the first responders to the scene, able to mobilize and provide aid to the people of Beirut the same night of the blast.

The DTCare team on the ground coordinated with the Municipality before the start of the cleanup mission and were allocated a specific landfill just 8 Kilometers away from the cleaning locations. Over the course of seven days, the DTCare team has cleared 200 tons of debris a day (1,000 tons) from the narrow streets of Beirut, a challenge considering the near-constant traffic paralyzing the mobility and speed necessary for machinery and volunteers.

The blast destroyed a major grain silo, which is critical considering Lebanon imports a majority of their wheat. To help cope with the food scarcity, the DTCare team is distributing 10 rations, daily, to families affected by the blast. Currently, they have been able to distribute 55 food rations, with each ration capable of feeding a family of four for a period of three months. Items included in the DTCare ration box include rice, flour, sugar, salt, tuna, oil, mushrooms, beans, chickpeas, and local grains other than wheat.

For the mission, DTCare partnered with the Contingency Operations Group (COG), which has been set up as a special purpose vehicle for any and all matters with US Corporations represented in Lebanon, helping facilitate all of their business interests in the region. Being the first US organization to jump to the rescue of Lebanon in this time of crisis by sending funds, products and support related to the relief effort, DTCare gained COG’s trust, attention and priority. Their independent status has allowed them to be successful in their efforts, as they remain free of ties to specific religious or political affiliations.

COG team members have served and supported the US troops who were deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq under the Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) from 2001 and through the extent of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) 2003 to 2010. DTCare’s management team is very well versed in US defense contracting and State Department operations in the region, following all policies, procedures, regulations and, most importantly, transparency and compliance.

Although the operation is a small dent in the overall relief effort, the DTCare team has been incredibly effective and efficient in their mission, and will remain engaged for the duration of the cleanup effort. Currently, the team is racing to do as much as possibly before the rainy season arrives in October. DTCare predicts the cleanup effort to last between 3 to 5 months in total, weather permitting. For the Silo, Lainya Magaña.

Politics

Intelligence Operative- Iran Source Of Explosives Causing Beirut Nuke Like Destruction

August 7, 2020 The Silo 1 Comment

Beirut / Tehran – The 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate which caused a massive explosion in the port of Beirut originated in Iran before being loaded onto the Russian ship MV Rhosus whose cargo ultimately ended up being unloaded in the port of Beirut.

This revelation comes from an intelligence operative within Tehran’s government who has been secretly working with pro-democracy activists. The information comes from the NGO ‘The New Iran’ which has a track record of successfully smuggling sensitive information out of Iran, including much of the video footage seem in the media of widespread protests within Iran following the Iranian military shooting down Ukraine National Airlines flight PS752.

Intelligence Operative Connected to Pro-Democracy Movement

The intelligence operative communicated the details over a secure messaging technology The New Iran uses for coordinating with their democratic allies within the country.

Lebanese government sources have disclosed that the ammonium nitrate was seized in 2013. This date is perhaps significant the source says because it follows shortly after the opening of an ammonium nitrate factory within Iran.

“Our source is risking his life to bring us this information,” says Dr. Iman Foroutan, Chairman of The New Iran, “because he believes that recent developments within the government are going to make these kinds of disasters more common.”

At the end of June, the government of Iran approved an agreement for a “25-year comprehensive cooperation plan between Iran and China.”

The two countries are calling it a “strategic partnership.”

The agreement is designed to help Iran get around the punishing sanctions of the United States, which more and more is being looked at as a common enemy by both Tehran and Beijing. China will be investing $400 billion USD into Iran with an immediate payment of $320 billion USD – a substantial portion of which is going into strengthening ports and military capability.

“The Iranian regime is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism,” says Dr. Foroutan who along with other influential Iranians in exile are working to fully expose the danger of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s radicalism and eventually free the Iranian people. “Now with the cover of China, one of the world’s rising superpowers, Iran will be able to move more weapons and weapons components throughout the region and the world.”

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has already twice threatened to blow up the port of Haifa in Israel. Hezbollah allegedly sought to acquire ammonium nitrate via Syria since 2009 and tried to infiltrate the agriculture ministry in Lebanon to do so, according to leaked diplomatic cables.

In February 16, 2016 Nasrallah also said that ammonia is stored in Haifa and that there are 15,000 tons of gas Haifa and that explosions there might cause the deaths of tens of thousands of people. “the expert added that this is exactly like a nuclear bomb. In other words, Lebanon has a nuclear bomb. This is not an exaggeration.” Nasrallah laughs as he says this in the video.

https://youtu.be/hp_Pdew_sG8

“With the agreement between China and Tehran allowing the regime to ship under the cover of China, potentially deadly materials like ammonia nitrate [may be] circumventing US sanctions,” says Iman Foroutan, “The next explosion may not be an accident.” For the Silo, Lance Laytner.

Philanthropy

Mark Canada 150 By Raising 150K Meals For Haiti Children With This UN App

June 28, 2017 The Silo Leave a comment

CANADA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched the #ASK1TOASK1 campaign, asking all Canadians to join the challenge to raise 150,000 meals for children in Haiti through the ShareTheMeal app to mark Canada’s 150th anniversary.

Every day, countless children in Haiti turn up for school on an empty stomach, which makes it hard to focus on lessons. A daily school meal can mean not only better nutrition and health, but help the next generation reach its full potential. The #ASK1TOASK1 ShareTheMeal campaign will allow WFP to scale up their Home Grown School Meals programme in Haiti.

It costs just $4.55cdn, less than a bottle of maple syrup, to provide one week of nutritious meals to children in school through the ShareTheMeal app! The app allows users to share nutritious food with hungry children around the world by simply tapping on their smartphone and donating $0.65 or more.

“WFP’s ShareTheMeal app and the #ASK1TOASK1 campaign provides Canadians with an easy way to share meals with hungry children in Haiti,” said Robert Opp, a Canadian who is Director of Innovation and Change Management at WFP.
“Daily school meals allow children to focus on their studies rather than their stomachs, feeding their dreams for the future.”

Haiti has been repeatedly affected by a series of devastating natural disasters over the last two decades. 2016 was the third consecutive year of El Nino-related drought, and the country was hit by the category 4 Hurricane Matthew, which left more than 800,000 people in need of urgent food assistance.

In Haiti, WFP is working together with the Government to produce a sustainable, nationally-owned, school feeding programme linked to local agricultural production. WFP procures local commodities such as rice, fresh fruit and vegetables from the local smallholder farmers, giving them a predictable market for their products and the children enjoy a healthy diversified school meal.

Join WFP Ambassador Against Hunger, George Stroumboulopoulos and other celebrities like World Champion Wrestler Andre Berto, Singer Dawn Richard and Canadian national Olympic Weightlifter Isabel Lahela who have all committed to help fundraise for the children in Haiti. To get involved, simply download the free app, join team #Canuck and once you have fed a child for a week share with your social media network, using the hashtag #ASK1TOASK1.

WFP’s award-winning app has engaged a new generation in supporting the fight against hunger. More than 850,000 people have downloaded the app and shared over 14 million meals with thousands of vulnerable children in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Malawi, Cameroon, South Sudan and Yemen.

The ShareTheMeal community recently contributed to WFP’s famine response in South Sudan, where users shared 1 million meals with those people in dire need of food.

WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries.

ShareTheMeal allows smartphone users to share their meals with hungry people via a free iOS and Android app. ShareTheMeal is an initiative of the World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator.

Download the app here.
For more information, please visit: https://sharethemeal.org/canuck.html

For the Silo, Laura Mirarchi & Julie Marshall, WFP/Toronto.

Featured image- http://www.public-value.cbc.radio-canada.ca/story/1/

LE PAM ET SHARETHEMEAL LANCENT UNE CAMPAGNE POUR DISTRIBUER 150 000 REPAS À DES ENFANTS EN HAÏTI EN L’HONNEUR DU 150ÈME ANNIVERSAIRE DU CANADA

CANADA – Le Programme Alimentaire Mondial (PAM) des Nations Unies démarre aujourd’hui la campagne #ASK1TOASK1, qui propose aux Canadiens de participer à un challenge visant à distribuer 150 000 repas à des enfants en Haïti via l’application ShareTheMeal en l’honneur du 150ème anniversaire du Canada.

Chaque jour, de très nombreux enfants haïtiens vont à l’école le ventre vide, ce qui les empêche de se concentrer. En plus d’améliorer leur nutrition et leur santé, un repas scolaire quotidien peut permettre à la prochaine génération d’atteindre pleinement son potentiel. La campagne #Ask1toAsk1 de ShareTheMeal permettra au PAM d’étendre la portée de son programme “Home Grown School Meals”, qui fournit des repas scolaires produits localement.

Avec l’application ShareTheMeal, fournir une semaine de repas scolaires nourrissants à des enfants ne coûte que $4,55, soit moins qu’une bouteille de sirop d’érable ! L’application permet aux utilisateurs de partager de la nourriture saine avec des enfants dans le besoin en quelques clics sur leur smartphone, en faisant des dons de $0,65 ou plus.

Robert Opp, directeur canadien de l’Innovation et du Changement au PAM, dit que “ l’application ShareTheMeal et la campagne #ASK1TOASK1 offrent aux Canadiens un moyen simple de partager des repas avec des enfants dans le besoin en Haïti.”
“Des repas scolaires quotidiens permettent aux enfants de se concentrer sur leurs études et non sur leur estomac, alimentant leurs projets futurs”

Haïti a été touché par une série de graves catastrophes naturelles lors des deux dernières décennies. En 2016, le pays a connu pour la troisième année consécutive des sécheresses causées par El Nino, et a été touché par l’ouragan Matthew de catégorie 4. En conséquence, plus de 800 000 personnes ont un besoin urgent d’assistance alimentaire.
En Haïti, le PAM collabore avec le gouvernement pour mettre en place un programme de repas scolaires durable et public, qui s’appuie sur l’agriculture locale. Le PAM se fournit en produits locaux auprès d’agriculteurs haïtiens de petite taille. Ces achats de riz, fruits et légumes frais donnent accès aux producteurs à un marché stable et offrent aux enfants des repas sains et variés.

Rejoignez l’ambassadeur du PAM George Stroumboulopoulos et d’autres célébrités comme le Champion du monde de lutte Andre Berto, la chanteuse Dawn Richard et l’haltérophile Isabel Lahela, qui se sont engagés à aider à collecter des fonds pour les enfants en Haïti. Pour participer, vous n’avez qu’à télécharger gratuitement l’application, rejoindre l’équipe #Canuck et, après avoir partagé une semaine de repas avec un enfant, partager cela sur les réseaux sociaux en utilisant le hashtag #ASK1TOASK1.

ShareTheMeal, l’application du PAM, a gagné de nombreuses récompenses pour avoir impliqué la nouvelle génération dans la lutte contre la faim. Plus de 850 000 personnes ont téléchargé l’application et ont partagé plus de 14 millions de repas avec des milliers d’enfants vulnérables en Jordanie, en Syrie, au Malawi, au Cameroun, au Soudan du Sud et au Yémen.

La communauté ShareTheMeal a récemment participé à l’intervention du PAM au Soudan du Sud, partageant 1 million de repas avec des personnes ayant un besoin urgent d’assistance alimentaire.

Le PAM est la plus grande agence humanitaire de lutte contre la faim dans le monde, apportant une assistance alimentaire pour résoudre des situations d’urgence et travaillant avec les populations locales pour améliorer la nutrition et mettre en place un système alimentaire stable. Chaque année le PAM vient en aide à 80 millions de personnes dans 80 pays.

Grâce à l’application Android et iOS ShareTheMeal, les utilisateurs de smartphones peuvent partager leurs repas avec des personnes dans le besoin. ShareTheMeal est une initiative de l’accélérateur du Programme Alimentaire Mondial.

Téléchargez gratuitement l’application : http://ow.ly/IucL30cAl5h
Pour plus d’informations, rendez-vous ici : https://sharethemeal.org/canuck.html

Suivez-nous sur Twitter @wfp_Canada et @ShareTheMealorg